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Chivas Regal

The Icon

MAKING CHIVAS REGAL MATTER

As the world’s first luxury whisky, exported world-wide and drunk by the global elite at the turn of the 20th Century, Chivas Regal wanted to leverage its luxury credentials by creating a new flagship product. We were tasked with developing the positioning and identity for the pinnacle of the Chivas Regal range.

We undertook in-depth analyses of the ultra-prestige category and the Chivas Regal brand. The challenge was to get to the very essence of the brand’s visual DNA. We wanted to understand what elements could be leveraged in a luxury context to ensure credibility amongst the likes of Louis XIII and Richard Hennessy cognacs, whilst also retaining a sense of Chivas-ness. It was clear that the concept for this new expression needed to look backwards in order to look forwards.

CAN MEETS DO

The design pays tribute to the brand’s illustrious past – the green crystal decanter in particular, but also the touches of red throughout the packaging, the reference to the ship on the badge and the presentation case pay homage to the iconic green bottle of 1909 and the brand’s export story. Having designed the concept for Chivas Regal The Icon, Coley Porter Bell worked closely with a leading luxury cabinet-maker and the master craftsmen at Dartington Crystal to realise it. Each decanter is hand-blown and hand finished.

Retailing at $3,500 (USD), Chivas Regal The Icon is a suitably luxurious flagship for the world’s first luxury whisky. It was launched exclusively in Dubai Duty Free in May 2015 to much acclaim. With a limited supply of only 1500 bottles in its first year of release the role of The Icon is primarily to halo the Chivas range and to support the brand’s luxury positioning. Press coverage to date, has been extensive with articles in publications such as GQ magazine, Esquire, The Telegraph and numerous other whisky and luxury blogs. Initial impressions are that The Icon is fulfilling its role as the pinnacle of the range.